Decking the Halls 2
by Neuropsych
Summary: It's a year later... sequel to Decking the Halls the Christmas story I wrote last year COMPLETE
1. 01

_**Decking the Halls – 2**_

_Author's note: How long will this one be? I'm not certain. Not long, I think. It's just for fun, and purely for fluffiness – although I have to make a story around it because I'm not all that great at mindless drivel (although I've given it a shot a couple of times) If you didn't read Decking the Halls, you should, because it'll give you the background to this story. It's only 8 chapters long and my chapters aren't that long. THIS IS NOT A CAMPER'S STORY._

_**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters I'm using in this story, and I'm not making any money off it._

OOOOOOO

"No."

"Aw, come on Teal'c…"

"No."

"Jack…"

"Daniel, I can't make him do it."

"But…"

"_You_ make him do it…"

Daniel frowned, looking at the indignant Jaffa who was standing with his arms crossed firmly over his chest and a scowl on his face.

"He likes _you_ more."

"He doesn't like me enough to do this again…"

"He'd take a bullet for you."

"He'd take one for _you_, too, but that doesn't mean he's going to dress up like an elf again for any reason…"

"I am not," Teal'c agreed, reminding them that he was well able to listen in on the conversation they were having – especially since they were having it all of ten feet away from him.

"It's for a good cause, Teal'c."

"And I will be happy to attend, Daniel Jackson. However, I will not dress up."

"It's not _like_ last year, Teal'c. No Mrs. Claus costume. No weird tights… really. It's a very tasteful outfit."

The Jaffa simply stared at him. And Daniel sighed, knowing that nothing on earth was going to get Teal'c to dress up – not even a large group of kids waiting at an orphanage. As he'd said, he was more than willing to go pass out the toys that the SGC had gathered for the kids, but he wasn't going to dress up.

"How about letting him be Santa Claus?" Sam suggested, watching the entire scene from her seat beside Jack. "Santa is a lot more fun to play than an elf, Teal'c. You might like that…"

"O'Neill was urinated on several times last year," Teal'c said, proving he had a fine memory. "I have no desire to-"

"Being _Santa_ is fun, Teal'c," Jack interrupted. "You get to see their eyes light up while they tell you everything they want for Christmas, and-"

"How's it going in here?"

They were interrupted by the arrival of General Hammond.

"Teal'c won't dress up," Daniel said.

Hammond looked over at Teal'c, who watched him impassively.

"But you're willing to go?"

"Indeed."

The general shrugged.

"Then he doesn't _have_ to dress up…"

Like _he_ was going to be able to convince him if his own team couldn't?

"He should have a Santa hat on, though," Sam said.

"Definitely," Jack agreed, looking at Teal'c to see if he was going to give them an argument.

The Jaffa nodded. He'd wear a _hat_. He'd have to wear one anyways, after all.

"Okay, then," Hammond told them. "When you get back from P-203, you should have plenty of time to get dressed. We'll get everything ready for you."

Jack nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"And try not to get hurt, okay?" Hammond added as he headed for the door. "I can't have Santa and his elves limping and bleeding."

"We'll do our best, sir."

"See that you do."

Hammond left, leaving the team to get ready to go off-world. Since they were all dressed for gate travel, it was a simple matter of heading to the armory to gather their weapons.

"I still don't see why we couldn't wait until the day _after_ Christmas to go to P-203," Jack said as they walked.

"Because the dual eclipse doesn't _care_ that tomorrow is Christmas," Sam said. "And the gravitational flux that it's going to have on the moons of P-203 is going to be absolutely fascinating. We'll see for the first time just how the-"

"_Carter_."

She smiled wryly, shaking her head.

"Sorry."

He softened the rebuke with a slight smile of his own, and the four of them walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence.

OOOOOOOO

"SG-1, you have a go."

Jack looked over his shoulder at Hammond, who was watching through the blast window that overlooked the embarkation room. The general was tense – even though the mission they were going on was only going to last a couple of hours and the planet they were going to was mostly deserted – he was always tense when he sent his people off-world.

Well aware of his concern, O'Neill gave him a cocky grin, waving as he turned and then gestured for Teal'c and Daniel to head through the activated Stargate, and motioned for Carter to take a position next to him.

"Let's go, guys. I want to get back before Hammond eats all the fruitcake."


	2. 02

"Are you _sure_ we're in the right spot?"

Sam looked around uncertainly, even as the Stargate disengaged behind them. The sky was dark, and they all found themselves reaching for their flashlights.

"It must be, sir. The observatory is supposed to be just over a hill to the left of the gate."

"It's awfully dark, Sam," Daniel complained.

"It's easier to see an eclipse in the dark, Daniel," Carter said, reasonably.

Truth be told, they'd sent the MALP through only a half hour before SG-1 themselves had gone through the gate, and when they'd looked at the data coming back, the sun had been up. None of the members of the team had been there before, but they'd all seen the videos SG-7 had taken of the place, and had read every report from every probe. Already there was a sense of unease among them, because none of them recognized the area – even in the dark.

"Where is the MALP?" Teal'c asked, looking around.

Jack frowned, looking around as well.

"Why do I get the feeling we're not in Kansas anymore…?"

"We were never in Kansas," Teal'c said.

"This _has_ to be P-203," Daniel said. "That's the address that was dialed. Stargates don't go off course."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Jack reminded him, grimly. He looked up at the sky. "_I_ don't see two moons, does anyone else?"

They all looked up. The fact that there weren't _any_ moons in the night sky – when there should have plainly been two – was just the final kicker that something had, indeed, gone wrong, and they weren't where they were supposed to be.

"Well?" Jack asked, looking at Sam.

She shrugged.

"All I can think of is that we miscalculated the time of the dual eclipses, and somehow the gravitational flux that we were going to study threw our wormhole off course…"

"And sent us out a different Stargate…" Daniel finished.

"Yes."

"Well, this is a nice place and all," Jack said, "but I'm all for going home." He flashed his light around the area. "Anyone see a DHD?"

It was to the left of the Stargate, slightly hidden by the gentle slope of a small hill.

"Dial it up, Daniel," Jack said, shining his flashlight on the symbols.

"I would – if I knew the point of origin."

Oh, yeah.

"There's usually information like that around the DHD," Daniel continued before Jack could say anything. "Let's spread out and see if there is any writing, or carvings or anything…"

They separated into teams of two for safety – they were in an unknown place with a lot of other unknowns, and Jack wasn't taking any chances – but after almost half an hour there was no sign of anything that even looked like it might be what they needed.

"Well… this is lovely," Jack muttered as they regrouped. "I'm open to some suggestions."

While they'd been searching, the sky had grown even darker, with that quality in the air that plainly said it was the middle of the night.

"The SGC has to know by now that something's gone wrong," Carter said. "They might be able to figure it out and send some backup."

"Who will, of course, be stuck here in the dark – figuratively and literally – with us," Jack said.

She nodded.

"There has to be something around here, Jack," Daniel said reasonably. "We should wait for daylight, and see what happens."

"We don't know how long nights last here…" Jack said. "We could be in the beginning of a six month night…"

"That is unlikely, O'Neill," Teal'c said, reasonably.

"He's right," Sam said. "And really, we don't have a lot of choice. We can't see _anything_ in the dark…"

Jack scowled, even as he saw the truth in what they were saying.

"This isn't how I want to spend Christmas Eve, you guys…"

"They might be short nights," Daniel said, without much hope.

"At least it isn't raining," Sam told them.

"Don't _say_ that."

He looked up as if expecting it to start pouring – and really, he did.

Sam smiled.

"Let's find a place to settle in," she suggested. "Standing around the DHD isn't going to do us any good."

"Better to be near the gate," Daniel agreed. "In case they _do_ send someone after us."

OOOOOOOOOO

"Do you remember where we were this time last year…?" Sam asked Jack softly an hour later.

The two of them were seated on the ground (which was soft grass) side by side in front of and just off to the left of the Stargate. A little off to their right Daniel and Teal'c were taking the first watch of the night, but since it had been fairly early when they'd left earth, none of them were at all sleepy. It just didn't make sense to have all four of them on watch, so they'd divided up.

He smiled, taking advantage of the darkness to lean against her, his arm going around her waist in a familiar fashion.

"I do." He leaned over and nuzzled his lips gently against her neck for the briefest moments, unwilling to actually start something there was no way he would finish here on a strange world, but enjoying the closeness. "Do you remember what we were _doing_?"

She shifted, and he saw her watch light up briefly as she checked the time.

"We were trying to convince Teal'c to be _Mrs_. Clause, as I recall…"

"That _isn't_ what I meant," he told her, realizing only at the last moment that she was teasing him.

She grinned, and he felt her lean slightly against him as well.

"I know. Too bad we're stuck here… I had an interesting idea for later on this evening…"

"Yeah? What?"

"It's a surprise."

"What? You can't do surprises with me, you know that."

"Says who?"

"It's not fair."

"You do them with me."

"That's different."

"I don't see-"

"O'Neill…" Teal'c's large form came out of the blackness of the night and he stood over the two of them. "I believe someone is coming…"


	3. 03

Instantly all business, Jack and Sam scrambled to their feet, flashlights aiming first at Teal'c, and then when they saw the direction he was facing, they looked that way as well. They couldn't see anyone coming in the dark, but soon they caught the sound that Teal'c's sharp ears had already heard. A rustling coming from the direction of the DHD – although it didn't sound too close, just yet. Of course, there was a small hill over that way, and they all could see it, silhouetted against what seemed to be a dim light coming from behind it.

"Where's-"

Jack's question was cut short when Daniel appeared out of the dark at his side, his P90 raised, but not pointing at anything just yet since there wasn't a target.

"Here."

"Stay close."

Daniel didn't make a comment like he normally would have; instead he just nodded, knowing that now wasn't the time to complain about Jack always telling him not to wander.

"Hello?"

The voice was male, and coming from the same direction as the noise and the dim light behind the hill. It sounded as if someone were searching for them – or someone was trying to make sure they knew he was coming so they wouldn't be surprised. Either way, it was obvious whoever it was knew that they were there.

"Over here…" Jack called, motioning for the others to spread out just a little. You never knew, after all.

The light turned out to be a torch, and the person carrying it turned out to be a young man wearing simple clothing with a broad, handsome face. He walked cautiously towards them, well aware that they were holding weapons, and stopped just close enough that he wouldn't have to shout to be heard.

"My name is Jamal."

O'Neill looked at the others, and then shrugged. Fair enough.

"I'm Jack."

"Jack."

"Yeah." He gestured to the rest of his team. "Major Carter, Doctor Jackson, and Teal'c."

"Your companion is a Jaffa…" Jamal noted.

"Yeah."

"Are you Goa'uld?"

For someone who was alone, he certainly didn't seem all that concerned that he might possibly be surrounded by a small handful of Goa'uld.

"No," Daniel said. "We're enemies of the Goa'uld."

"You came through the Stargate?"

"Yeah."

"On purpose?"

Jack shook his head.

"Not exactly…"

Jamal nodded.

"You were caught up in the gravital fluxation of another planet's lunar eclipse…"

They looked at him in surprise.

"How did you know that?" Carter asked.

Jamal smiled, and now he looked even younger.

"You are not the first."

"There are others here?"

"No, not right now. Only my own people."

Jack frowned.

"Where are the others?"

"We didn't kill them, if that's what you're worried about, Jack…"

Since he'd been thinking something along that train of thought, Jack simply frowned again, but Daniel was a lot better at smoothing things over.

"We didn't think you _had_, Jamal," the archeologist said. "We were just wondering what happened to them… especially since we're in the same situation…"

"We put them up while they waited for the gravitational fluxations to subside, and then allowed them to return to their homes."

"You can help us get back?"

"You _do_ know the address to your world, right?" Jamal asked.

"Yes. But we don't have a point of-"

"We know that, however. When the effects of the eclipse have worn off, the Stargate will be back to normal and I personally will give you the final symbol."

"That's very nice of you…"

"We enjoy the company," the young man told them. "However, my people would prefer that you do not linger any longer than necessary."

"We don't want to," Jack assured him.

"What he means," Daniel said quickly, not wanting to offend, "is that our people will be worried about us, and we don't want them to have to _worry_ any longer than necessary."

Jamal nodded.

"That is understandable. Please, if you will come with me, I'll take you to my people, and we'll see to your needs while you wait."

"We should probably just hang around here," Jack said. "In case they send someone else to look for us…"

"If your people send others through the wormhole, they will not emerge here. The gravitational flux is not steady. The odds are far more likely they would end up on yet another world, through a different Stargate…"

Oh.

Sam, however, was nodding her understanding.

"You certainly know a lot about the Stargate, Jamal," she said. "Do your people use it regularly…?"

He smiled and shook his head.

"We never use it. We prefer to stay here, where we are. However, our ancestors built them, so we _do_ understand how they work."


	4. 04

Daniel stared.

"What did you just say?"

Unruffled, Jamal shrugged.

"We do not use the Stargate, Doctor Jackson."

"_Daniel_," Daniel said, absently. "You can call me _Daniel_…"

"Daniel."

"What Daniel's _asking_, Jamal, is what you meant when you said you were related to the people who built the Stargates…?"

"We are _descended_ from them."

"You are Ancients?" Teal'c asked.

Jamal looked at him curiously; obviously uncertain about the Jaffa who did not seem to be like the other Jaffa he had heard of. Then he shook his head.

"My people are descended from them, but no, we are _not_ Ancients."

"But-"

"We are called the Proginai."

Daniel frowned.

"That's Latin."

"Sounds Greek to me," Jack said, unimpressed. He looked back at the Stargate. "Jamal…? Are you _sure_ we can't get back to our world with the Stargate right now?"

The young man shook his head.

"It would be a disaster if you tried, Jack. Really."

"If he's right about the gravitational flux, then there's every chance that we could end up _anywhere_, Colonel," Carter agreed.

"And we're _sure_ he's right?"

She nodded.

"Yes."

"Wait," Daniel said, interrupting. "Tell me more about your people, Jamal. If you know that you're descended from them, then you must know about the Ancient's technology…"

"We know some things, yes…" Jamal said. "But-"

"We _really_ can't get home?" Jack asked, interrupting.

"Not at the moment, I am afraid."

Jamal didn't seem at all concerned or annoyed by the fact that Jack kept interrupting. In fact, he seemed more amused than anything. He was certainly far more patient than Daniel, who frowned at O'Neill.

"Jack…"

"I was just _asking_."

Jamal smiled.

"Please. My village isn't far from here, and you will be far more comfortable there than you will be sitting here."

"We can talk there," Daniel agreed. It would be better than standing around in the dark.

"But…" Jack frowned.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked curiously, wondering why he was so hesitant. She knew it wasn't Jamal; he wasn't watching the young man like he would have someone he didn't trust, and he wasn't being hostile – which would have been another indication that Jack didn't trust or like him.

O'Neill sighed.

"Nothing." He looked at Jamal. "Lead the way."

Jamal smiled.

"It won't be too long, Jack. You'll be home before you know it."

With that, he turned and headed back the way he'd come, gesturing for them to follow. Daniel hurried to catch up, clearly hoping to continue the conversation, while Jack hung back a little.

"Seriously…" Sam said, softly, hooking her arm through his as Teal'c started walking as well. "What's wrong?"

"We're not going to be home any time soon…"

"It won't be that long. It's not like you have a dog or anything that you forgot to feed…"

"But it's _Christmas Eve_."

"You're worried about the orphans?"

"No. If we don't get back, Hammond will arrange for someone else to hand out the toys." Of course, Hammond was probably already aware that they hadn't ended up where they were supposed to be, and undoubltedly had people already working on the problem.

"What is it, then?"

"This isn't how I wanted to spend Christmas. I-"

"Come on, guys!" Daniel called back, interrupting. He was easily seen walking beside Jamal, the light of the torch illuminating both of them clearly.

"Come on," Carter said. "I could use something warm to drink."

Grumbling to himself and glancing once more at the idle Stargate, Jack finally let her pull him away, and they headed after the others.

OOOOOOOOO

"_This_ is your village?"

Jamal smiled, standing beside Daniel and the rest of SG-1 at the top of a small hill that overlooked a little valley. Daniel had expected a small collection of huts – maybe even thatched cottages – surrounding a couple of town squares with maybe a community fire or something. What they got was something far different.

The village was well spread out, covering most of the little valley, and there wasn't a fire in sight – aside from Jamal's torch. What there were, were what looked like regular street lights lining straight and tidy roads running through the village. The very large village.

"It looks like home, almost…" Sam said, just as surprised as Daniel.

"Yeah."

"Not what you expected?" Jamal asked, amused.

"No."

"Come. The elders told me to bring you to them so you could be introduced."

"Elders?"

"Our ruling body. You'll see."

With that, he started down the hill toward the brightly lit buildings, content that the others would follow. Which they did after only an instant.

"This should be fun," Jack said, with a considerable lack of enthusiasm.


	5. 5

As they drew closer and the lights of the village made Jamal's torch unnecessary, they could see that the village was surrounded by a high fence with a gate made of huge wooden doors. Huge wooden doors that were wide open.

"Are you the only people on your planet?" Daniel asked, looking at the doors as they passed through into the village.

"Yes. We're spread out over the entire planet – aside from some uninhabitable areas. Why do you ask?"

"Because gates like these would be good for repelling unwanted visitors…" Jack said, catching Daniel's reason for questioning immediately.

Jamal smiled.

"The gates – and the fortifications themselves – are left over from a time long past. A time of great strife that my people have thankfully grown out of."

Which made sense, since the gates were wide open – and unguarded, Jack noticed.

"What do your people – what is _that_?" Whatever Daniel had planned on asking was completely forgotten when they entered the village itself and the team got its first glance inside the walls.

Against the inside of the wall to the right of the gates was a large pod-looking thing sitting on the ground and glowing a muted blue.

Jamal turned to see what he was looking at.

"It is a power source. There are four of them in the village, and they supply the energy for our lights, heating and cooking devices."

"Where-"

"My people prefer not to discuss our technology, Daniel," Jamal said, gently. "It is one of the reasons that while you are welcomed here and will be treated well – but they will be glad to see you leave."

"But-"

"The technology isn't our own," Jamal said. "It's left over from our ancestors."

"It's Ancient technology?" Sam asked, looking at the pod with renewed interest.

"Yes."

"How does it-"

"Daniel. He just _said_ they didn't like to discuss it."

Jack might normally be interested – if it had been a weapon or something he definitely _might_ have given it more thought – but he wasn't happy being where he was just then, and he really didn't care what made the energy pod thing tick. Or who built it in the first place. Besides, as far as he was concerned, Ancient technology was a pain in the ass. He'd had it stuffed in his head, and it sucked.

Daniel gave Jack a pained look, but Jamal smiled.

"Jack is right, Daniel. Please, come this way."

They were walking along a cobblestoned street, now, with tidy little buildings rising up on either side around them. From the upper windows of these buildings there were people looking down at them as they passed, and occasionally one of those people would wave in silent greeting. All they could see were curious glances; nothing hostile – which was a welcomed sight, really.

"The elders are gathered in our central meeting building," Jamal said as they walked further into the village. "They will only want to give you the ceremonial greeting and then we will be free to get you settled into temporary quarters that will serve as your domicile while you are with us."

"How long is that going to be?" Jack asked.

"How long until the wormhole is stable once more, do you mean?" Jamal asked.

"Yeah."

"Several hours – probably closer to a day or two. We will make certain it is stable before sending you through it. Otherwise you may end up in a far more hostile environment. "

"How are you going to make sure it's stable?" Sam asked. "We weren't even aware it wasn't safe when we went through the first time. How can you guarantee that-"

"We will be able to tell," Jamal interrupted. "You'll have to trust us."

Of course, that was pretty much what they were doing already, so they didn't have much choice really.

OOOOOOOOO

The central meeting building really was in the center of the village – at least as near as Jack and Teal'c could tell. After walking for almost a half hour through the village, they stopped in front of a fair-sized three-storied building that was lit up brighter than any of the other buildings they'd walked by that evening. It wasn't the biggest building they'd seen that evening, but it was close. As they walked up to the door, it opened, and a woman peeked out, smiled, and then beckoned them all inside.

Brightly lit inside as well, SG-1 found themselves inside a huge open room, which was filled with people. Gaily dressed in warm colors, these people were holding cups or plates of what was probably food, and it looked more like a cocktail party than anything else. Conversations came to a halt as the team entered with their escort, and the people shifted positions enough to make a small aisle in the center of the room, which was where Jamal guided them.

Waiting for them were three people. Two women and one man. Each of these were dressed in similar clothing to the others – although the fabric seemed to be just a little better quality. It was obvious why they were called elders; each of them were older than anyone else in the room by far.

Jamal bowed to the three, and then smiled.

"Elders, may I introduce our guests to you?"

"You may," said the woman to the left, who looked to Jack to be about nine hundred and ten.

"This is Jack," Jamal said, gesturing to O'Neill. "And his friends, Major Carter, Daniel and Teal'c."

"That one is Jaffa," the other woman said. Like Jamal had before, she didn't seem all that concerned about it; she was just pointing it out.

"He is not aggressive," Jamal said.

"He's part of our team," Jack told her.

"Where are you from?" The man asked, glancing at Teal'c momentarily, but no more concerned about his presence than any of the others.

"A planet called Earth," Daniel answered.

"Their people are called the Tau'ri by mine," Teal'c said, speaking for the first time.

There were murmurs through the watching crowd at that announcement, but the three elders held up their hands for silence and received it immediately.

"You are welcomed here," said the man in the center of the women. "Jamal will show you to rooms that you may call yours as long as you are here, and when you have had a chance to refresh yourselves, we would welcome you to return here for a meal and some entertainment."

Daniel bowed slightly; in imitation of the gesture of respect that Jamal had shown when he'd introduced them.

"Thank you. We accept."

"This way," Jamal said, gesturing for them to follow him as once more the crowd of people moved to make them a path. "You'll like your rooms, I'm sure."

"Oh?" Jack asked, wondering how he could be so certain.

"You are not the first Tau'ri we have sheltered, Jack," Jamal said, smiling.


	6. 06

"We're not?"

Jamal shook his head.

"No."

Sam frowned.

"When did you have other Tau'ri?"

"It's been several years. We don't usually get visitors – and we never go off world ourselves looking for company – but we frequently get people such as yourselves; brought to us by pure circumstance."

"And you're certain they were Tau'ri?"

"As far as I remember they were," Jamal said with a shrug. "I can't imagine why they would lie. _They_ didn't have a Jaffa, though," he added.

"Can you remember anything about them?" Daniel asked.

"I didn't speak with them," Jamal admitted. "However, I am sure you will find their story interesting, and I will try to find some of our people who did."

"Thank you."

Jamal gave a slight bow.

"Come, I will show you to your quarters."

They left the large room, and their guide took them down a hall toward a wide flight of stairs.

"When our ancestors realized long ago that our Stargate would be constantly bringing us visitors, they built sleeping quarters into this building. At first it was for our own security – and to protect our technology from would-be thieves – but now it is simply convenient to have our guests quartered here where we can easily locate them when conditions are favorable for sending them back to their homes."

As he spoke, they were walking up the stairs, and now they were in a long corridor that looked more like a hall in a hotel than anything else. Jamal stopped in front of the first door, now looking uncertain.

"We have plenty of room… would you prefer to have your own rooms, or did you want to be together?"

The others looked at Jack, clearly waiting to hear what he wanted to do. He shrugged.

"Let's take a look at the rooms, shall we?"

Jamal opened the door to the first room, and the four of them looked in. There was a large bed, a dresser of sorts and a door that was opened to reveal a bathroom of sorts. The walls were white, but the severity of the color was broken up by several large paintings or prints that were hanging on every wall – including above the bed.

"I'm all for having our own rooms," Jack said, deciding that he'd be the one who was stuck with Daniel if they doubled up, and Daniel snored. These people seemed to be friendly enough – and Jack was a pretty good judge of that kind of thing. Besides, if they turned out to be hostile, SG-1 still had all their weapons. "If you really do have the rooms to spare."

Jamal nodded, smiling.

"There is plenty of room, Jack."

OOOOOOOOO

There _was_, too. Apparently SG-1 was the only group of visitors just then, because the entire upper floor was completely vacant. Jack took the first room, with Teal'c taking the last, effectively putting Daniel and Carter in the middle where they would presumably be the most secure in the event that something actually happened.

"Nice place…" Daniel said, looking around his room after Jamal had excused himself, saying he'd send someone for them in about half an hour.

Jack was in Daniel's room with him, just double-checking to make sure there weren't any secret walls or hidden dangers – even though he hadn't found any in his own. He grunted an agreement.

"It's better than sitting in the dark," Daniel pressed, trying to figure out why Jack seemed so moody.

"I suppose."

That was true enough, really. But it didn't make it better than being home.

"What's wrong?"

"We're stuck here."

"Yes."

"_That's_ what's wrong."

"It won't be for long."

"It's Christmas Eve, Daniel."

"I know. And I already reassured you that General Hammond will undoubtedly find someone else to hand out the toys to the kids if we don't make it back by evening our time."

Jack scowled.

"That's not what I'm worried about missing…"

Daniel gave him a curious look.

"What _are_ you worried about missing?"

O'Neill hesitated, and then shook his head.

"It's nothing. I'm going to go check out my room again. Come get me when Jamal comes back."

"Jack…"

"What?"

"What are you missing that can't wait until-"

"Nothing, Daniel. Don't worry about it."

He left the room, leaving the door open behind him, and Daniel frowned, watching to see if maybe he'd change his mind and return. Little hope of that, really, and he wasn't surprised when he heard the door down the hall close, telling him that Jack wasn't coming back any time soon.

Giving a mental shrug, Daniel decided that Jack would eventually tell him – or he'd figure it out another way. So he turned his attention to the room he was in, looking with great interest at the paintings that were hanging on the walls. They were interesting subject matter, and it wasn't like he had a whole lot of other things to do while waiting for Jamal to return.


	7. 07

Not surprisingly (considering it was only about three in the afternoon earth time) none of the members of SG-1 actually needed a chance to get some rest before dinner. And since they hadn't brought any dress clothes with them, none of them needed to change. So there was plenty of time for them to check out their rooms and then go looking for each other before Jamal – or someone else – showed up to take them downstairs. 

Jack was sitting on his bed (which was about as comfortable a bed as he'd ever been on) when a knock on the door drew his attention from his brooding.

"Come in."

Carter walked in, looking around. O'Neill had put his backpack on the top of the dresser and had hung his P90 from one of the posts.

"Nice place," Sam said, hoping for a smile. "Come here often?"

He scowled.

"_Too_ often."

She came over and sat down beside him on the bed.

"What's wrong, Jack?"

"What makes you think anything's wrong?"

"You're moody."

There was a time she wouldn't have said that, but that time was past, now. Had been for a year.

He sighed, and an arm slid around her, pulling her a little closer so he could rest his cheek against her shoulder.

"This _isn't_ what I had envisioned for tonight…"

"It's not so bad, though," she pointed out. "At least no one's shooting at us."

"True."

"And Jamal and his people seem very nice."

Jack scowled again.

"Not _too_ nice?"

Meaning he was asking her if she thought it was suspicious.

Sam shook her head. She knew he was always suspicious of people – it was just the way he was; and it made him good at what he did – but this time it wasn't necessary, she thought.

"I don't think so. They seem prosperous, and they're definitely more technologically advanced than we are. I don't see what they could possibly need from us that would make them a threat to us."

Which was pretty much what O'Neill had been thinking, but it was good to hear it from someone else, too.

Sam ran her fingers through his short hair.

"I'd love to know how their energy pods work, though," she said, sounding just a little peeved. "It's fascinating technology that would probably-"

"So ask them." Jack said, interrupting.

She wasn't offended; she'd actually expected it.

"You heard Jamal. His people don't like to discuss their technology."

It wasn't like they were the first society they'd ever encountered that held those reservations, either, so it was hardly suspicious.

He shrugged.

"Don't ask Jamal. Maybe someone else might want to brag a little."

"That's unlikely."

"Yeah. But it's worth a shot, if you're that interested."

Sam nodded.

"I suppose so."

She gave him a gentle nudge and a soft smile.

"Feeling better?"

"Not really."

She lifted her head and kissed him gently.

"How about now?"

"Maybe a little…" he smiled, though, and leaned down to return the kiss.

"Jack?"

The voice at the door caused both of them to jerk away, guiltily, and Jack scowled.

"Come in, Daniel…" his voice was annoyed, but it made Sam giggle. Which earned her a scowl. Which only made her giggle harder.

Daniel opened the door and walked in, noting their position immediately.

"Am I interrupting anything?" he asked them, not even trying to hide his amusement.

It was no secret – to him or to Teal'c – that something was going on between Jack and Sam. Something far more intimate than just a leader/follower type deal – and that it had been going on for some time now. Daniel, who was good at studying the people around him, noticed the change fairly easily. There was a definite softening to Jack. A softness that only something – or someone – profound could bring about. And since his eyes lit up whenever Sam walked into a room he was in, there was no doubt what – who – that someone was.

They didn't mention it, though – and Daniel had a feeling it was more because of regulations than because they actually wanted to hide it – so he and Teal'c neither one actually brought it up. But it was fun to catch them in almost compromising positions like he just had. Besides, Jack looked a little less annoyed than he had when he'd left Daniel's room – which was always a good thing.

Jack shook his head, but Sam was the one who responded.

"No. We're just… hanging out."

"Uh huh."

Jack scowled.

"Where's Teal'c?"

"He's coming. I think he's trying to decide if it'll offend our hosts if he carries his staff weapon…"

"You will not need any weapons here," a voice said from the open door.

They all looked over (Jack and Sam standing up quickly) and saw a woman standing by the door. She was probably in her late twenties, and was beautiful; with mahogany colored skin and thick black hair that was loose and fell past her shoulders. She was wearing a simple dress, but it was brightly colored and had intricate designs embroidered on the hem, collar and bodice, and on her feet were matching slippers. She flushed, as if embarrassed that she'd startled them.

"Please, forgive me. I didn't mean to listen in on your conversation, but I couldn't help it."

"No, it's okay," Daniel said, smiling to reassure her. "If it was private, I would have closed the door."

"You are our welcomed guests," she said, smiling. "Not our prisoners. As such, if you feel more comfortable carrying your weapons you may do so – although we do ask that you limit it to only your side arms."

Teal'c walked in as she was saying this, and Jack noticed that he'd left his staff weapon in his room – but was carrying his holster with the zat strapped to his side.

"Fair enough," O'Neill said, knowing that Teal'c had already decided to do just that.

She smiled, again, as if relieved there would be no confrontation.

"Then if you're ready, please follow me. Dinner is ready and my people are waiting."


	8. 08

Their guide's name turned out to be Tara, and she explained to them as they walked down the stairs that they would be formally introduced to her people – the crowd that was gathered for the community meal anyways – and then they would be free to mingle with her people as they made their way to the dining room.

"We were already introduced," Daniel said.

"To the _elders_," she agreed, nodding. "But not to our people. They will not eat with strangers – it's a long standing tradition that goes so far back we're not even sure what brought it around…"

Daniel had a couple of ideas about what might have, but before he could say anything, they were already at the bottom of the stairs and heading in the opposite direction that they'd come from earlier.

The sound of a large crowd of people emerged from a wide doorway at the end of this hall, so none of them were surprised to see that everyone that had been in the first room were now in this one. There was one major difference, however. This room was filled with several long tables that were set with plates, tableware and glasses. And the room smelled wonderful.

All conversation stopped as Tara led SG-1 into the room, and the crowd watched as they were guided to the front of the room – near what Daniel decided was the head table.

"Is there any particular form of greeting you wish to be known as?" She asked them. "Any title?"

"Jack." Jack said.

The others followed along with that. There was no sense in using a military rank when there weren't – _apparently_ – any other military officers around, and Daniel preferred to be just _Daniel_ when he could.

"Daniel."

"Sam."

She looked at Teal'c, expectantly.

"Teal'c will suffice."

Tara nodded, and faced the gathered crowd, who were watching expectantly.

"My friends. I have the honor of introducing to you our visitors. This is Jack, Sam and Daniel of the Tau'ri. And Teal'c, of the Jaffa."

There were murmurs of greetings, and many smiles of welcome, and feeling very much like the center of attention – something he didn't enjoy all that much – Jack gave a half-hearted wave in return, while Sam and Daniel were a little more enthusiastic.

Tara turned to her guests and gestured towards the crowd.

"Please, feel free to make yourselves at home."

Daniel was the first to step into the welcoming group, and promptly vanished into the crowd of people who stepped forward to introduce themselves to him. Sam looked over at Jack, questioningly, and he shrugged.

"Just don't let them pick your pockets…"

She smiled, and stepped into the crowd as well, and a moment later also vanished. Teal'c hesitated an instant, mainly because he wasn't used to having a lot of people glad to see him – he was a Jaffa after all. The crowd didn't seem to mind, however. Several of them were already coming forward, and many would undoubtedly ask him why he was allied with the Tau'ri.

Jack waited until he was gone as well, and then looked around.

"You are uncomfortable…"

He turned and saw Jamal had reappeared at his side.

"Not uncomfortable…" Jack corrected. "Just…"

"_Wary_?"

"Maybe a little," he admitted. "I'm not used to crowds."

Which wasn't the _whole_ truth, but it wasn't all that far off. He wasn't fond of being the center of attention. If he wanted that, he'd have become a politician. Besides, he didn't want to be here, and he wasn't all that great at hiding the fact.

"Come with me," Jamal offered. "I will introduce you to some people."

Since it was better than standing around – marginally – Jack nodded and followed him into the crowd as well.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

The next twenty minutes the members of SG-1 were engulfed (literally) in the crowd. Fortunately, they were a friendly bunch of people, and while they did ask them questions about their home, they were unobtrusive as they did so, catching any hesitation that might come up and changing the subject with a different question as soon as it could be politely done. Even Jack managed to relax among the people Jamal introduced him to, and he had to admit that as far as hosts went, these people were as good as they came.

Especially when dinner was served.

SG-1 didn't sit together, but they did sit close enough that they could see each other. When Jack made a check on the members of his team, he found Sam and Daniel both immersed in conversations with different groups, and even Teal'c seemed to be enjoying himself. Well, maybe not enjoying himself, but he didn't seem too uptight about anything, so O'Neill decided he was doing fine.

"Sam is a beautiful woman…" one of the men sitting beside him said, softly, noticing that Jack was watching her.

O'Neill nodded.

"Yes."

"Is she your mate?"

When Jack hesitated – that was about as personal a question as he'd been asked so far that night, and had taken him completely by surprise – the man smiled.

"I did not mean to embarrass you, Jack," he said, apologizing. "I was just curious."

"Officially, she isn't," he said. "But _unofficially_, yes. We're definitely seeing each other."

"How do your people make it official?" a woman sitting on his other side asked, curiously.

"We get married."

"Married?"

"We have a ceremony where the man and woman pledge themselves to each other."

"Ah."

It looked like the man was going to ask another question, but he was interrupted by the arrival of the first course of their dinner, and the conversation switched over to telling Jack about what he was about to eat, and reminding him that if he didn't like something to let them know and they'd give him something else.

Which was completely unnecessary, Jack discovered. He didn't recognize many of the dishes set before him – including the meat, which almost looked like roast beef, but was flaky like fish – but everything they put in front of him was delicious, and he ate everything they offered him.

For the first time, he decided that this place wasn't _quite_ so bad, after all.


	9. 09

"If I eat anything else I'm not going to fit through the gate…" Sam complained, pushing her plate back with a satisfied groan.

"You liked it?" the man sitting beside her asked, smiling.

She nodded.

"It was wonderful!"

"There is _dessert_…"

"Oh, no, Darrin," she said, shaking her head and smiling ruefully. "I couldn't eat another bite."

"She's _full_, Darrin," Tara said from beside him. "Are you trying to make her stomach explode?"

Those sitting closest smiled as well, and Darrin held his hands up in surrender.

"I was just _offering_…"

"He thinks that just because _he_ can eat until his jaw is sore, the rest of us should be able to as well," one of the other women sitting near at hand said.

Before Sam could reply, Daniel came up to the table looking about as excited as she'd ever seen him looking. With him were several others, all looking amused.

"Sam! You _gotta_ see this!"

"See what?"

"Come on, I'll show you."

She frowned, looking over towards where Jack was seated, only to find his seat empty. A moment later, she saw him heading their way. Obviously, he'd seen Daniel and had decided to come see what had him so agitated.

"What's up?"

Looking surprised at his sudden appearance – and that of Teal'c only an instant later – Daniel smiled.

"I know about the people who were here before us."

"The Ancients?" Sam asked.

"No, the Earth people that were here before us," Daniel said. He gestured to one of the older men who had walked over to her table with him. "This is Rafe. He was one of the one who spent time with them when they were here."

"They were here several days," the man said. "We had trouble explaining to them what had happened – and even more figuring out how to get them back where they belonged – or even _whether_ to send them back or not."

"They didn't know how to get back through the gate?" Sam asked.

"No," Daniel said. "They didn't. They were _sent_ through from our end – they didn't go on their own – and-"

"Why wouldn't you send them back?" Jack asked, interrupting.

"Because the gravitational field that captured their wormhole and brought them to our world was far more powerful than any that we have seen before-"

"Some sort of anomaly," another agreed.

"That not only brought them to the wrong Stargate on this world instead of their destination, but it also threw them through _time_."

"_Forward_ in time," Daniel said, practically wriggling with excitement. "They were from _ancient Babylon_, Jack."

"What? How do you know that?"

"Because they didn't take all their stuff when they left."

"Where did they go?" Jack asked.

"What did they leave?" Sam asked at the same time.

"Come and look," Daniel said, slapping Rafe on the back enthusiastically. "You won't believe it."

"Where did they go?" Jack repeated.

"We were unable to calculate the time they belonged in without any assistance from them," Jamal said, having followed Jack and now joining in on the conversation. "So with their permission, we sent them to a world that they would feel comfortable in – one filled with people who would treat them well and allow them far more of a life than they would have had on your world."

"Are they still there?" Jack asked.

"They have since passed on…"

"The life expectancy of people from that time was a lot less than it is for us, Jack," Daniel said sounding regretful – and with good reason. After all, it would have been an archeologist's dream to actually have an ancient Sumerian to talk to. "They only lived a few years."

"Wait a minute…" Sam said. "How did you communicate with them? They couldn't have been speaking English."

"Neither are we," Jamal said, smiling.

"What?"

"We do not speak _your_ language any more than we spoke theirs."

"But-"

"_We_ understand you because we have the technology implanted in our minds to translate your words."

"Living in a place where so many different people come here from so many different worlds it only made sense to develop that technology," Rafe added.

"Which makes sense," Daniel said, nodding.

Jack looked at Sam, who nodded her agreement as well. It _did_ make sense.

"What did they leave?" Jack asked, turning to Daniel.

"The only complete cuneiform alphabet that I've ever seen."

"That's it?"

Daniel frowned.

"That's _it_? Do you have any idea just how amazing it is? When Babylon fell, we lost so much information – including untold knowledge about exactly how to translate their writing – cuneiform. We've been practically guessing the last two millennium – the knowledge was probably in the library of Alexandria, but look where that went – and now we have it again."

"An _alphabet_?" Jack repeated.

"A _detailed_ alphabet," Daniel corrected.

"And it's that important?"

Daniel looked about ready to explode from eagerness, which answered Jack's question nicely.

"Rafe said I can copy it," Daniel told him.

Sam turned to Rafe.

"What about your hesitation to share technology?"

"This alphabet is not _our_ technology," Jamal said, answering for him. "If anything, it belongs to you and your people far more than it does us."

"I need to get started," Daniel told them. "I need my packs, and my notebooks…"

"I will assist you, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c offered.

Daniel looked at Jack, who shrugged.

"Go for it… the worst you can…" he trailed off, since Daniel had already turned and headed for the doorway, anxious to get to his room and get his writing materials. "Never mind…"

Ah well… at least someone was getting what they wanted for Christmas.


	10. 10

"I take it Daniel and Teal'c won't be joining us for our entertainment?" Jamal asked, smiling.

Jack shook his head.

"I guess not."

"Entertainment?" Sam repeated.

"Of course! We have musicians and dancing coming up – if you're not too full from your dinner to dance?"

She smiled, looking at Jack to see his reaction to the planned entertainment. He was carefully keeping his expression neutral, however, which she knew meant that he was going to give her the choice of whether to join in or not.

"It sounds fun."

"Then you'll have to save me a dance," Darrin said.

"_After_ I see what the dance is," Sam said. Just in case it was some kind of dance where they all tossed off their clothes and started rubbing their rears – or other parts – against each other.

"There is plenty of time to learn," Jamal assured her. "After dessert, though. The musicians require that time to set up the main hall."

"Sounds fun," Jack said. "Let's eat."

He wasn't all that excited about the music and dancing – not that he was against a good dance or anything – but he was all for _dessert_. Especially if it was as good as dinner had been. He gave Sam a slight smile which was filled with the promise of at least one shared dance, and then headed back for his seat with Jamal and a few of the others behind him.

Sam watched as he went, but was interrupted by the arrival of great platters of dessert, which turned out to be something like a cheesecake cookie that was surrounded by a flaky crust.

"Try it, Sam," Tara encouraged her. "You'll like it, I bet."

"And if you don't, we'll find something you _do_," one of the other men assured her.

She took the dish from the server, who handed her a spoon, and with everyone at the table watching her closely (which was just a little disconcerting) she took a taste, and found it to be amazing.

"It's delicious…"

Smiling knowingly – because they'd known just how good it was – the others reached for their own servings of dessert, pleased that they'd impressed their visitor.

OOOOOOOOOO

A hand slipping into his own pulled Jack's attention away from what had to be the weirdest dance he'd ever seen – and he'd seen a lot of them during his years. He turned his head, smiling at Sam, who had come up behind him without him noticing.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" she asked, tucking her arm under his, and leaning against him slightly. After all, no one there knew the regulations against fraternization, and no one would care.

"It's not the Glenn Miller Band…"

She chuckled.

"You don't _like_ the Glenn Miller Band."

"I'm just _saying_…"

"They're not too bad, though, are they?"

"No. It's different, but I kind of like it."

Which for him was saying something.

When they had finished with dessert, the entire crowd headed into the main hall. Several people up on a raised dais were setting up what looked like a string orchestra – although Jack didn't go close enough to actually compare their instruments with those he was familiar with. When they saw people arriving, the musicians started to warm up – which increased O'Neill's image of a string orchestra – and finally they started playing.

The music was slow, but it wasn't boring, and immediately dancers headed for the middle of the floor. With them was Sam, who was being escorted by two men and one woman – apparently the dance they were starting with was one that required four people (or two partners).

Jack had watched her, smiling softly as she'd first stumbled her way through the steps of the dance, and then had quickly caught on, while at the same time he'd shaken his head when Jamal had offered to show him the moves as well. He wanted to watch, not participate.

"Are you going to try it?" Sam asked him, looking at the dancers.

He looked at her.

"Do you want me to?"

"It's kind of fun. But if you don't _want_ to, I'm sure Darrin would be happy to dance the night away with me…"

He scowled, knowing that she had done that on purpose. Now, even if he didn't want to dance, he was going to. On the other hand, he liked dancing – which wasn't something everyone knew – and he especially loved to dance with _her_.

"You'll show me how?"

"Of course!"

Without giving him a chance to change his mind, her grip on his hand tightened and she led him out to the dance floor, where immediately another couple joined them, more than willing to show Jack how to dance.

OOOOOOOOO

"Daniel?"

Daniel looked up from the paper he was studying, annoyance at the interruption clear on his face, even though he tried to school his expression. Teal'c looked up as well, his own expression impassive – even though he was interested in the writings that they were copying as well.

"Rafe… yes?"

"The dancing has started…"

"Do I have to go?"

"Not if you don't want to. I just didn't want you to miss it if you were interested."

Daniel gave him a smile.

"I am interested in it, Rafe. But _this_…" he gestured to the carefully covered papers on the table he was standing beside. "This is something far more interesting… something that might be the key to unlocking countless mysteries about my planet's history…"

Rafe smiled.

"I will tell the elders you are occupied, then. They will not mind."

"Thank you."

He turned his attention back to the papers, picking up his pen once more.


	11. 11

As much as he was enjoying himself – and he had to admit that he _was_, despite the fact that he didn't want to be where he was in the first place – Jack couldn't dance the night away. He didn't have the knees for it. He danced for an hour or so – almost exclusively with Sam, although a few of the women asked for a dance once they were sure he was familiar enough with the moves that he wouldn't be uncomfortable with a different partner – and then was forced to sit for a while.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Jamal asked, coming over and sitting beside him while Jack watched Sam dance with one of the others.

"Yeah. Do your people do this every night? Or is it a special occasion?"

"You mean, are we doing it to impress _your_ people?"

O'Neill smiled.

"Something like that."

"We don't dance _every_ night, but we do it often enough that we're not going out of our way to make a show for you. If we were interested in trading with you, then we might be guilty of trying to do something like that, but once we receive word that the fluxations in the gravitational field around our Stargate are back to minimum levels and we get you and your friends back to your home, we're most likely not going to see you again."

Which meant they had no reason to try and impress them. But that didn't mean they weren't doing it, anyways, because Jack had pretty much decided that these folks were about the best hosts he'd ever had the opportunity to meet.

"Well… it's good of you to allow us to join in…"

He looked back over to Sam, and Jamal followed his gaze.

"She appears to be enjoying herself."

"Yeah."

He had a feeling Jamal was going to ask him a question about Sam – maybe another personal question – and to stop that from happening, Jack looked around.

"I should go check on Daniel…"

"He is upstairs copying the drawings."

"Can you show me?"

It just made Jack nervous to have Daniel out of sight for too long – although he _did_ have Teal'c with him this time.

"Of course."

He stopped just long enough to gesture to Sam where he was going – which he managed to do without interrupting her dance – and then he and Jamal left the room, walking back towards the huge staircase.

"So did _your _people build this?" Jack asked, looking around as they walked. "Or did you just inherit it from the Ancients?"

"We built it – but the building is very old. One of the oldest in the city."

"You've been around a long time, then?"

Jamal nodded.

"More than a million generations…"

Before Jack had a chance to wrap his mind around that large of a number, they reached the top of the stairs, and he found that it wasn't the same wing that they had rooms in – despite the fact that he'd been pretty sure that was where they were going to end up. Somehow he'd managed to get turned around or something.

"This isn't where we're sleeping…"

"No. This _is_ where Daniel and Teal'c are, however."

He walked with Jack to the end of the hall, where they turned left. Sure enough, right there in the middle of the corridor was Daniel, his head down as he copied something onto a piece of notebook paper. Teal'c looked over when they rounded the corner, and nodded to O'Neill. It wasn't so much a greeting as it was a confirmation that everything was going fine and they were unharmed.

Jack walked over, looking down at what Daniel was doing. As near as he could tell, Daniel hadn't even noticed his arrival.

"How's it going?"

Sure enough, Daniel jumped, startled, at the sound of Jack's voice so close to his ear. He jerked his head around, almost losing his glasses.

"Gah. Don't _do_ that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Jack gave him an innocent look.

"I just came to check on you."

"I'm fine."

He started to turn back to his copying, but Jack didn't move.

"Are you almost done?"

"I haven't even scratched the surface, really."

"You're missing the dancing…"

Daniel looked up.

"Are _you_ dancing?"

"Yeah."

"Really?"

Jack scowled.

"Yes."

"Huh."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Daniel shook his head.

"Nothing."

"Hey…"

"It didn't mean anything, Jack. I'm just surprised, is all…"

"I can dance."

"I know."

"Then wh-"

"Jack. I'm _really_ busy here. There's a lot to do and I don't know how much-"

"Hey, if you don't want to dance, don't let me stop you."

"It's not that I…" Daniel trailed off, shaking his head again. He didn't have time to get into the fact that he'd rather do what he was doing than dance. "You learn the dances, and you can show me, later."

"I might be busy later," Jack told him.

"Sam can show me, then."

"She might be bus-"

"Jack…"

Daniel sounded annoyed. Which meant Jack's work there was finished, really.

"Fine. How about I leave you alone so you can get this done?"

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Secure in the knowledge that Teal'c and Daniel were okay – as opposed to being tortured in a dungeon somewhere – Jack looked at Jamal, who had watched the exchange with amusement.

"How about more dessert?" he asked him.

"Of course. Come, we'll stop by the kitchens on our way back to the great hall."

O'Neill started to tell Daniel goodbye, but the archeologist already had his head back down, trying to figure out the next symbol he was going to copy. Jack looked at Teal'c, instead.

"If you get bored, come find us."

The Jaffa nodded.


	12. 12

When Jack and Jamal returned to the great hall, Sam had decided to take a break and was sitting in one of the many chairs that were positioned for those who just wanted to watch the dancing rather than participate.

"Enjoying yourself?" Jack asked as they came over, carrying drinks – and a couple of those cheesecake type cookies.

She smiled and nodded.

"These people are amazing."

"Yeah. And they've been around forever."

"What do you mean?"

He offered her his cup – which was filled with a fruity beverage that may or may not have been alcoholic. Whatever it was, it was good, and hadn't given any of them any problems yet.

"Over a million generations," Jack said, quoting Jamal, who was close enough to hear.

"Really?"

"That's what he told me."

"That's a long time."

Jack shrugged.

"Maybe they don't live as long as we do."

After all, a million generations to a fruit fly is only a million days, right?

"We live as long as your people do," Jamal assured him with a smile. "In fact, we probably live-"

He was interrupted by the arrival of one of the others. The woman hurried up to him, giving Jack and Sam an apologetic smile at the interruption before touching Jamal's arm to get his attention. She whispered something, and Jack knew from the sharp glance at him and Sam that it had something to do with them.

Jamal confirmed that almost immediately.

"The gravitational field has dipped to an acceptable level, Jack. The Stargate's emission is prevailing at the moment, and the event horizon should remain constant."

Jack looked over at Sam, who smiled.

"He means we can go home."

"If you _hurry_," Jamal said. "Otherwise it will undoubtedly be a few more days. We expected there to be a temporary lull – which is why I had people watching for one – but I cannot promise it'll happen again any time soon."

"Let's get Daniel and Teal'c."

Jack was more than willing to leave – despite the open friendliness of these people.

"Shanna will take you to get them," Jamal told them, gesturing to the woman who had delivered the message. "I will get your things for you."

Since it would save time, Jack nodded, and the woman gestured for them to follow her, while the room was suddenly a bustle of activity as the rest of the people heard the news.

OOOOOOOOOO

"But I just got started…"

"Daniel, we have to go."

"Sam…"

"It's a very small window, Daniel. We don't have a lot of time."

The archeologist looked down at the paper he'd been writing on.

"I don't mind waiting until the next-"

"Daniel. There are kids waiting for us, remember?" Jack asked, ruthlessly, even though he could practically feel his friend's agony at the thought of leaving what he was doing.

"But Hammond will probably-"

"You wouldn't want to disappoint them, would you?" Sam asked.

"Well, no, but-"

"You wouldn't deny Teal'c a chance to be Santa, would you?" Jack added.

"I did not agree to-"

"Besides, we need to get word back to the SGC," Jack interrupted. "Hammond and the others are probably going out of their mind trying to find us."

"And we don't want to risk anyone else going through the Stargate while the gravity is fluxuating," Sam added.

"But…"

He looked like a kid being pulled out of a toy store, and Sam felt guilty for making the arguments she had. But they were the truth, and they needed to get home as quickly as possible, or risk trying the wormhole when it wasn't as stable – and who knew where they might end up the next time?

"Are you ready?" Jamal asked, coming around the corner of the corridor with his hands filled with their equipment.

"Just about," Jack said. "Come on, Daniel, we've got to go…"

Gathering up all his things, and tossing them mournful looks every time he put something else in the rucksack Jamal handed him, Daniel finally was ready to go as well.

"You do not have much time, I'm afraid," Jamal said, reaching into a pocket and pulling out a small device that looked like a garage door opener.

"What's that?" Sam asked.

In response, Jamal simply smiled, and pressed a button – or a switch, or something. They all felt an odd sensation, and everything seemed to go black around them – although they clearly heard Daniel's surprised gasp, which told them they hadn't passed out or anything. When they could see again, they found themselves outside – with the large form of the Stargate looming just off to the side and a group of people watching them, each holding torches and lighting the area up almost as if it were daylight instead of the middle of their night.

"How did you _do_ that?" Sam asked, amazed.

"It is simple technology," Jamal said, showing her the device, even though he knew there was no time to explain it – even if he'd been inclined to do so.

"Like the Asgard's beaming technology?" Sam asked. "That's-"

"The gravitational field is beginning to oscillate," one of the others said, looking at some other device in his hand. It was the first sign – aside from the energy pod that powered the city – of any real advanced technology, and Sam was suddenly as reluctant to leave as Daniel had been.

"You need to get going," Jamal said, gesturing to the DHD. "As it is, your trip might be a little rough – although I assure you that you will arrive at your home, or we'd never attempt the dial."

Daniel stepped up to the DHD, anxious to get them home safely despite his desire to stay and as he dialed, Jack turned to Jamal.

"Thanks for the hospitality."

"It was our pleasure," Jamal answered. "You and your team have been refreshing guests, and I hope you somehow manage to return again, some day."

Jack nodded, just as the gate flared to life, and he gestured for Teal'c to head through the gate as he started entering his GDO code.

"Let's go, people!"

Teal'c gave the watching people a nod of thanks and ran for the gate, followed by Sam and Daniel who did the same. Jack waited just long enough to make sure they were safely on their way, and then he, too, dove through the gate, noticing as he did so that the normally smooth water-like substance seemed to be rippling just a little.


	13. 13

The ripple apparently was bad, Jack decided a moment later when he found himself flung out the other end of the Stargate. The only good thing was that the surface he slammed into so painfully hard was inclined and definitely felt like the ramp leading up to the SGC's Stargate. When he rolled to a stop on his back, spread-eagled and half off and half on the bottom of the ramp, the ceiling he found himself looking at was reassuringly concrete.

"Colonel!"

That was a voice he recognized. He turned his head, wincing, and saw General Hammond looking down at him, concern warring with relief.

"General."

He rolled a little, testing to see if he'd managed to cripple himself – and also to look around for the rest of his team.

"Easy, Colonel…"

That was Fraiser, who had come up and knelt beside him, her expression more worried than anything. Jack ignored her hand – which was supposed to be holding him still – and looked over her shoulder. Teal'c was already pulling himself to his feet, Sam and Daniel were both still sprawled on the floor of the SGC, but they, too, were starting to move around a little.

"Is everyone okay?"

"Where have you _been_, Colonel?" Hammond asked. "SG-6 radioed back saying you'd never appeared, and then a couple of the scientists started talking about gravitational pulls of the eclipse or something and-"

Jack held his hand up to stop Hammond.

"We were sucked over to some other planet, sir…" he said, sitting up fully, now and trying to talk around Janet's hands, which seemed to be looking for broken bones. "Something about- _yee_-_ouch_!"

"Sorry."

She'd found a deep bruise on his side, but so far nothing too life threatening.

"It's a long story, sir," Sam said, rubbing her head and taking over the narration for Jack – who really _wasn't_ the one to explain it, anyways.

"Well, I want to hear all about it," Hammond replied. "Are they all right, doctor?"

Janet shrugged, standing up and giving Jack a helping hand as he staggered to his feet. Other medics were helping Daniel and Sam do the same thing – and Teal'c waved away help.

"I'll want to check them out, sir…"

"Of course." Hammond turned to SG-1. "I want you all checked by Fraiser – including you, Teal'c – and then we'll debrief."

"Yes, sir."

OOOOOOOO

"I don't mind telling you we were getting worried about you guys," Janet told Sam about ten minutes later. She had her behind a curtain and was checking a few bruises on the Major's shoulder.

"You should have _seen_ this place," Sam said, shaking her head. "It was amazing. The people were great. They're descended from the Ancients, they said, and-"

"And you believed them?" Janet asked, skeptically.

"Yeah. They didn't have any reason to lie to us. Besides, they were-"

"Hey! Can I _go_, now?"

The voice from the other side of the curtain was impatient and annoyed, and both women smiled.

"No, Colonel," Janet called back through the curtain. "You can stay right where you are until I've had a chance to make sure you're okay."

"I'm _fine_."

"Not until I say you are."

"Hammond's waiting, and so are those kids, doc…"

"I'll be there in a moment, Colonel." She looked at Sam, lowering her voice. "What did _he_ think of these folks?"

Sam shrugged.

"He seemed to get along well enough with them – all thing considered."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Huh."

It did say something for them that _Colonel O'Neill_ liked them, Janet thought. There were very few people he met – as far as she knew – that he'd liked, or even tolerated.

"Am I free to go?" Sam asked. They _did_ have kids – _and_ a general – waiting for them, after all. And it was getting late.

Janet nodded.

"If you ache, take some aspirin. If you need something stronger, give me a call."

"You're coming over tomorrow?"

"Cassie's looking forward to it. Six?"

"Or earlier, if you want."

Sam hopped off the table and headed through the curtain, followed by Janet.

"It's about _time_…"

"Be nice, Colonel," Janet chided. "Or I'll find a reason to keep you here overnight and Santa won't be able to find you."

Jack scowled. She could at least _pretend_ to be apologetic for making him wait, right?

"I'll go prepare a report for General Hammond," Sam said, smiling at the threat. "Unless you'd rather I waited for you to come help with the technical stuff?"

Great. Now they were ganging up on him. Cruel women.

Jack shook his head, shooing her off with his hand.

"By all means, Major… feel free to go get a report ready for General Hammond. While you're at it, you might write up the mission report as well…"

"And take away all your fun?"

Bah.

"Get out of here, Carter."

"Yes, sir."

Grinning, Sam headed for the door. It was good to be home.


	14. Epilogue

**_Epilogue_**

"I can't believe you convinced Teal'c to be Santa…"

Jack smiled, looking over at Sam. She was curled up on his sofa, with her feet tucked under her, watching as he built up the fire in the fireplace. With a heavy snow starting to fall outside, it was an almost magical moment, and one made all the more special because she was sharing it with him.

"I think he felt sorry for Daniel…" Jack told her, standing up and wiping his hands off on his pants.

"I do, too."

Not only had Daniel been forced to leave an entire cuneiform alphabet behind – with barely enough of it copied to scratch the surface – but he'd also managed to break his collarbone when he'd crashed through the Stargate on the way home.

"Aw, there's no reason to."

"What do you mean?" she asked as he handed her a glass of wine. "He looked pretty disappointed."

Jack sat down beside her.

"Look at the bright side, though. Now he knows there's a whole lot more of those cuneiform things out there for him to look for. It's an archeologist's dream to have something to look for, right?"

Sam shook her head, smiling.

"Did you mention that to _him_?"

"Yeah. He wasn't impressed."

"I bet."

"Well, he can't say I didn't try…"

She chuckled, and set down her wineglass. They'd had a wonderful dinner – made by Jack, incredibly enough – and they'd had wine, _then_, as well. She didn't want to get drunk that night. Not only because she wanted to be able to enjoy herself, but because she didn't want to deal with a hangover on Christmas.

"Uh huh."

She was glad she'd missed that particular conversation – although she could clearly see what Daniel's expression had probably been. She reached out and touched his side, sliding her hand along his shirt.

"How's the side?"

"Never better." He put his hand on the nape of her neck, gently inviting her to curl up against him, and she did so gingerly, unwilling to hurt him even if he _did_ say he was okay. She'd seen the bruise, after all. "How's the shoulder?"

"Fine."

He smiled to hear her use his favorite phrase, and she rested her cheek against his shoulder, watching the fire and just enjoying being with him in such a tranquil moment.

"This is nice…"

"Worth taking the beating coming back through the gate instead of waiting for a better time?"

"Definitely."

She looked over at him, her head never leaving his shoulder.

"You seemed to be having a good time…" it was more of a question than anything.

"They were good hosts."

"But…?"

"But I wanted to be _here_…"

Like she hadn't been able to _tell_?

"There are worse places to spend Christmas…"

"But I had plans…"

She smiled.

"Plans that couldn't wait?"

"Not these. It's _Christmas Eve_, Sam…"

"You didn't need to worry, though. General Hammond told us he'd already conscripted people to pass out the presents if-"

"Not _that_." Jack said, interrupting her.

"But-"

His hand slid along her neck, interrupting her again, and she closed her eyes in response to the shivers that ran along her spine at the gentle touch. His free hand, however, went into his pocket and a moment later he poked her side, silently telling her to open her eyes.

When she did, she saw that he held a box in his hand. An open box that held a sparkling ring nestled in green and red silk. Her breath caught somewhere between her lungs and her throat, and her heart started hammering so hard she wouldn't have been surprised if Jamal had been able to hear it.

Jack smiled to see her so thunderstruck. Sam Carter was hard to surprise most of the time.

"Breathe, Sam…"

She looked at him, and found his expressive eyes filled with amusement and love.

"That… that's a ring."

"Yes."

"For… for me?"

His smile broadened.

"No. It's for Teal'c. I thought I'd run it by you first, though, to see if you thought he'd like it."

"Jack…"

"Of course for you, Sam." Now there was no amusement in his expression. Only love. And something else that was so powerful she couldn't even begin to understand it. "There are probably a million reasons for you to be with someone else. Someone smarter. Less annoying. More patient. Better looking…" he trailed off, and shook his head. "But _I love you_. More than anyone else ever could. Marry me."

She hesitated. She had to. Not because she didn't love him – because she did. But there were rules about this kind of thing. _Regulations_. A million roadblocks to them being happy together. And she realized that he'd already decided that no matter what was thrown up in front of them it didn't matter to him. Otherwise he'd never have asked. Would never have gotten such a gorgeous ring. The ring itself proved to her that he was willing to find a way around – or over – every obstacle and regulation. And she knew – she'd _always_ known, really – that he was worth the effort of finding that way. Just like he'd obviously already decided as well.

Sam smiled, and reached for the ring, her eyes stinging with emotion and her heart filled with happiness and love.

"Of course I will. I love you."

_**The End!**_

_Hah! So a Christmas story and a romance. One where no one dies, no one gets too beat up (except maybe Daniel) and a happy ending. Told you I could do it! I hope you liked it._


End file.
